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[sub][h1][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/MTNbUrP.png[/img][/center][center][color=black][b]A K A I A[/b][/color][/center][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5333243][center][color=bca346][b]A K A I A [/b][/color][/center][/url][/h1][/sub]

[center][sub]The Ruined City   ·   Afternoon
[@Medili][@FunnyGuy][@Force and Fury][@DreamingFlowers][/sub]

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It had taken time for the pressure on Akaia's chest to ease enough for her to think about something other than breathing. For a while, all she wanted to do was hold it. The hours immediately following the group's skirmish was one spent in anxious anticipation by the Sidhe as she kept too close an eye on Poppy and tried to drown out every voice in her head telling her to do something. She'd failed in the past or had seen enough failure that a familiar premonition was an itch she could not ignore. There were too many faces crowding her memory who were now buried in the dirt and many more still who were simply gone. But what scared her more than anything was the idea that another Sidhe could walk out of her life. Poppy wouldn't do that.

[center][i][color=bca346]...Will not...[/color][/i][/center]
She bit her lip and clenched her fist. Cutting through the noise in her head were the promises of both Erik and Lysandra. The two she'd scolded at in her own way now the voices of reason and rationality. Deep down, she knew she could trust them even when she didn't want to. A part of her wanted to be upset, but Erik was the leader and Lysandra knew what she was doing. One was the oldest of the commune and a good friend to everyone, including Poppy. The other was a light tug against her every step from trinkets strapped to her thigh. A constant reminder of the breadth of knowledge between Lysandra and herself. If there were two people she could trust to take care of someone close to her, it would be them, and after only a few hours, it [i]was[/i] them.

Despite the fall and injuries sustained, Poppy recovered or at the very least was well on her way. After only so short a time following their skirmish, the Sidhe was no longer confined to Lysandra's assistance and was already walking on her own. Seeing this when before she could barely focus on a single object was the relief Akaia needed and it was only then that she allowed herself some small amount of respite from worry. However, from then on, she insisted she took point in Poppy's place.

The fork in the road saw the group split into two teams, another idea that didn't sit well with Akaia, but she did not protest the party composition. With Poppy in the same cell, she could at least keep her away from the front. Plus she knew Cerise was more than capable of handling her own and was not worried that the two would be separated. Before they parted ways, she made sure to sneak Cerise a surprise hug and bade her take care. Akaia would not have two of those closest to her injured on the same day.

She kept her place ahead of the pack after the split, especially now that everything screamed danger. Buildings leaned too closely together inviting an air of claustrophobia that was stifling compared to the wider streets of the outer city. Cracked windows and broken doors were caricatures of predators that lined either side of the street. Sparse, naked trees clawed tirelessly at the sky and encroached on the roads, throwing strange shadows across the ground at odd angles. The silence too was so enduring as to be deafening and every scrap of debris tossed by the wind became unnaturally loud. Then there were the blind spots. Behind every derelict car. Around every corner Akaia could not see. Cloaked in the shadow of a collapsed wall or waiting on the other side of it.

Akaia remained vigilant for Lost as she led the group, keeping her head on a swivel and the voices of her friends not too far behind. Licorice kept to the sky and would make regular passes over both groups.
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